Social Suffering in the Neoliberal Age: State Power, Logics and Resistance

This book explores the effects of austerity governance on social welfare systems,regimes,and technologies,as well as the resistance and mobilization against these measures. It provides a comprehensive analysis of state power and everyday practices of embedded contestation and confrontation,using the case study of Australia to discuss sociolegal recategorizations,automation of welfare governance,technologies of policy design and delivery,conditionality,and systems of penalization.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book offers a rich and insightful synthesis of research and theory exploring the evolving welfare structures, regimes, and technologies, as well as the societal suffering they engender in everyday lives. Through a rigorous examination of social security restructuring in the context of austerity governance and its daily practices of managing, regulating, and subordinating individuals, peoples, and communities, the collection sheds light on the machinery of state power and the logics designed to control and manage the lives of the most impoverished and marginalized citizens who rely on social welfare income payments.

A key strength of this book lies in its comprehensive exploration of austerity governance across diverse communities, as well as its recognition of the resilience and mobilization of communities against austerity measures. By mapping out the logics of state power and everyday practices of embedded contestation and confrontation, the book provides a valuable contribution to the fields of sociology, critical theory, social policy, social work, disability studies, Indigenous studies, and settler-colonialism.

In the case study of Australia, the book discusses sociolegal recategorizations, automation of welfare governance, technologies of policy design and delivery, conditionality, and systems of penalization. This rich analysis offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of social welfare systems and their impact on individuals and communities.

Overall, this book is a must-read for scholars and students interested in understanding the changing landscape of welfare, the politics of austerity, and the struggles for social justice. It provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspective on these critical issues, offering valuable insights and perspectives that will be of interest to a wide range of disciplines.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367675561